Continuous screw press progressively adjustable during operation



GUEYTRON M. J. CONTINUOUS SCREW PRESS PROGRESSIVELY Filed Nov. 16, 1960 ADJUSTABLE DURING OPERATION Nov. 27, 1-9-62 3,965,689 Patented Nov. 27, 1962 United States Patent Ofiice 3,065,689 CONTINUOUS SCREW PRESS PROGRESSIVELY ADJUSTABLE DURING OPERATION Maurice Jean Gueytron, Rue Traversiere, Mesehers,

Charente Maritime, France, assignor to Speakman Company, Wilmington, Delaware Filed Nov. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 69,677 g 1 Claims priority, application France Nov. 16, 1959 2 Claims. (Cl. 100148) The present invention relates to a continuous screw press which can be progressively adjusted during operation and which can be used, whenever it is desired, to dry a liquid-containing product to a certain degree and/or collect the juices produced by the pressing operation.

- Continuous presses are already known, in which the heavy horizontal cast-iron or cast-steel screw rotating in one part of its length in a perforated cylinder is supported by a bearing at each end. The materials to be pressed are engaged by the screw in the first part of its length and are progressively pressed between the perforated cylinder or basket and the turns of the screw, because the outlet of the press at the end of the screw is constricted, this constriction being obtained by means of a fixed part of the press or outlet aperture, and a cone which is coaxial with the screw and the apex of which is directed towards the interior of the press. 7 The variation in the outlet section, that is to say the adjustment of the press, is obtained by longitudinal displacement of the cone by means of a nut and locknut.

, These known presses have numerous disadvantages resulting from their design, namely, heavy and expensive construction, provision of an end bearing attacked by the pressed products and thus deteriorating, provision of a bearing-supporting frame which interferes with the discharge of the ejected material and even causes clogging which obstructs the outlet, and considerable difliculties in dismantling during maintenance operations. v

An attempt has been made to obviate this drawback, simply by eliminating the end bearing. The heavy screw floats as a result and thus rests on the perforated basket. The resulting friction leads to rapid wear of the basket which is frequently expensive, particularly when the treated products require that the basket has to be made of a corrosion-resistant material.

In any case, the adjustment device disposed at the end of the screw is attacked by the treated products and cannot be driven.

It is therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a continuous screw press progressively adjustable during operation which obviates the disadvantages of the known structures.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a continuous screw press progressively adjustable during operation which comprises a screw-press for drying purposes, the rotary portion of which is made of two parts which can be separated, one of said parts constituting the supporting spindle, while the other part constitutes the actual screw, the latter having a low weight as much as possible by means of cavities and/or the use of light materials, so as to enable it to operate by suspending it at one of its ends and hence enable the second end bearing on the outlet end of the press to be eliminated without the possibility of rubbing of said rotating screw against the immovable part of the press.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a continuous screw press progressively adjustable during operation which includes an adjustment device which varies the outlet section and is joined fast to the fixed frame of the press so as to permit progressive adjustment during operation.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a continuous screw press progressively adjustable during operation which includes an adjustment device which is joined to the frame and which comprises an elastic ring of appropriate material in the form of a hollow ring disposed concentrically to the screw and applied to the interior of the outlet aperture in a housing arranged for this purpose, the hollow annulus being adapted to fill at will with any fluid which inflates it to a greater or lesser degree bringing about the effect of varying the size of the outlet constriction.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which the only FIG- URE is a longitudinal section of the press designed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to the only figure, the press comprises essentially a fixed frame 1 and a rotary screw 2. The materials to be pressed enter at the funnel 3 to engage the threads of the rotary screw 2 and to be progressively pressed into the cylindrical perforated basket 4 and then ejected through the annular outlet aperture 5, while the juices are received in the annular chamber 6 and fed off through the opening 7.

The rotary screw 2 is made of two parts, one part of which is driven by the driving shaft 10, beyond the section AA of the press, by known devices (not shown) such as coupling sleeves, reduction gears, motors, and others. It is supported solidly by the bearings and thrustbearings of the ball and roller type 11, 12, 13 and 14, designed to support the screw 9 having a non-suspended end. The assembly of these bearings and the part of the fixed frame containing them is termed the spindle bearing. The spindle bearing 27 is separated from the screw 9 by a combined system of gaskets 15 and 16, a separating diaphragm 17 and a deflector 18 intended to avoid any damage to the bearings by the materials to be pressed or the juices emerging therefrom.

The threaded screw part 9 is fixed on the spindle by a conical shank 19 having a key 20. The axial reaction of the material engaging the threads of the screw 9 contributes to the locking of the shank 19, yet the latter is secured by a stay 21 passing through the central bore 22 of the screw 9 and screwed on the one hand to a threaded bolt 23 projecting axially from the supporting spindle 8 and to the end of the ogival head 24, on the other hand by means of a screw bolt 25. The end ogival head 24 is automatically centered on the screw 9 by another conical shank 26.

It will thus be seen that the threaded screw 9 and the supporting spindle 8 form a rigid and light-weight assembly which will be solidly held in the spindle bearing 27 and will not entail any likelihood of rubbing against and wearing out the perforated basket 4 during the rotation of the screw 9.

The cylindrical perforated basket 4 is preferably made of two juxtaposed concentric cylinders, one of the cylinwork the press is to perform, without having to be ders 4 having fine meshes 28, chosen according to the resistant to the friction of the screw or mechanically resistant to the internal pressure, while the other of the cylinders 4 has larger meshes 29 sufiiciently thick to withstand the internal pressing forces of the press. The cylinder 4 having fine meshes 28 may be made of corrosion-resistant material, if necessary, of perforated sheet or metal cloth, while the cylinder 4 having larger meshes 29, although it may be made of any suitable material, may be made of a less expensive material. An inspection door 30 is provided in the assembly.

The adjustment device 31 for the press is secured to the fixed frame 1. It comprises, preferably, a resilient ring 32 which is sufliciently thick to withstand wear and excessive deformation, in the form of a hollow annulus. The resilient ring 32 is held by another ring 33 in a housing of the frame 1 and is locked therein and rigidly held by a profiled plate 35 secured to the frame 1 by means of a screw bolt 35. The actual assembly is protected by a cap 36. A chamber 37 formed by the resilient ring 32 is filled with a fluid which is kept at a predetermined pressure or volume. The fluid enters into the chamber 37 by the conduit 38 which is connected to a known control and regulating device (not shown). The pressure in the chamber is indicated by the pressure gauge 39. The fluid will usually be incompressible, such as water, or oil, but in some cases a compressible fluid or gas may be used, and this will increase the resiliency of the ring 32.

It will be seen that an increase of the volume of the fluid introduced into the chamber 37 through the conduit 38 will result in an inflation of the resilient ring 32 and a reduction of the cross section of the annular outlet aperture 5 and, conversely, a reduction of the volume of the fluid will result in an increase of the cross-section of said aperture. Thus a rapid and precise adjustment of the press during operation or at standstill is obtained. This adjustment may easily be rendered subject to a control and regulating device which, for example, responds to a certain dryness of the pressed products. Various known safety devices employing pneumatic and hydraulic systems may readily be fitted upstream of the feed of fluid through the conduit 38, such as pressure accumulators, discharge valves, safety valves, and others.

The forms, details, raw materials and various arrangements may naturally vary without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

While I have disclosed several embodiments of thepresent invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

4 I claim: 1. A continuous drying press adjustable during operation, comprising a frame,

a spindle rotatably mounted in said frame,

a threaded screw supported only at one of its ends to said spindle for common rotation with the latter,

at least one perforated cylinder surrounding at least part of said threaded screw,

a hopper projecting upwardly from said frame,

said screw having at the other of its ends an axially disposed end member rotating with said screw and tapered down in outward direction,

a ring member surrounding said end member and secured to said frame, and

an expandable resilient ring of inwardly convex shape removably secured to said ring member, and radially outwardly spaced apart from said end member to form an annular passing space of varying crosssection between said ring member and said end member.

2. The continuous drying press, as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said resilient ring is hollow and is adapted to receive a pressure fluid to vary the inner diameter only of said resilient ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,307,575 Davis Ian. 5, 1943 2,340,009 Meakin Jan. 25, 1944 2,425,237 Field Aug. 5, 1947 2,664,814 Ahlborn Jan. 5, 1954 2,935,931 Ginaven May 10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 439,734 Germany Sept. 21, 1927 OTHER REFERENCES Bopp et al.: German application, 1,054,798, printed Jan. 3, 1957 (K1. 47g 21/06).

UNITED STATES PATENT oFrIcE CERTIFICATE OF CORECT Patent Noa 3,065,689 November 27, 1962 Maurice Jean Gueytron It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as,

corrected below.

In the grant, lines, 2 and 3, for "assignor to Speakman Company, of Wilmington, Delaware," read assignor to Societe a Responsabilite Limitee dite Etablissements G, Julin 81 File, of Rouen (Seine Maritime) France, a corporation of France, line 12, for Speakman Company, its successors read Societe a Responsabilite Limitee dite Etablissements G, Julin 81 Fils, its successors in the heading to the printed specification, lines 5 and 6, for 'assignor to Speakman Company, Wilmington, Delaware" read assignor to Societe a Responsabilite Limitee dite Etablissements GO Julin 81 Fils, Rouen (Seine Maritime) France, a corporation of France "=0 Signed and sealed this 14th day of May 1963,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

